Jeffrey's Divorce and Recovery

Finally the day of her divorce hearing arrived. Amy didn't even want to attend but her attorney convinced her it was a good idea. Once during the procedure Amy caught herself staring at Jeff. He was so handsome sitting there with his attorney. Somehow he looked more powerful and commanding than he had while they were still living together. She wondered why she hadn't seen that before.

No matter what her attorney tried they could not break the Pre Nuptial agreement. The Judge glared at her when Jeffery's attorney presented her letter to their firm stating she would not marry Jeffery unless he would agree to write and sign the Pre Nuptial agreement as she had dictated it. Who in the world would have thought they would keep something like that? She finally leaned to her attorney and instructed him to stop fighting and tell the Judge she would agree to the divorce and settlement as Jeffery had outlined. By that time all she wanted was for it to be over. She finally realized she was the little birdie that had shit in its own nest and had to live with it.

Since the house was no longer hers Amy spent the rest of the week packing and looking for a place to live. She was thankful she had managed to hide the 'Bonus' money Howard had given her. She had accumulated over $200000.00 before she got fired and it was going fast. If she was careful she could live on it for a little over three years before it was all gone. If she could figure out a way to invest it and draw some interest it would last longer but she was afraid to do that right now. What if the IRS found out she hadn't reported it?

Amy was still hurt that her parents wouldn't let her move back home with them. Even living in her hick hometown would be better than losing all her money. Her Father had gone so far when she pleaded with them to tell her they didn't want anything to do with a whore. Amy thought she might get to live with her sister in her college apartment but she hadn't got her to agree to that yet. Her sister was scared her father would stop paying the rent if he found out Amy lived there.

On Monday evening after her divorce was final Amy was sitting at the table she used for a desk surfing the net. She was on a job search site hoping to find a job she could apply for. She had about decided to quit for the evening when the doorbell rang. She stood and looked out the window to see who was there. Sally was standing, leaning on the front door crying. She looked so dejected!

Amy rushed to the door and opened it just as Sally was stepping off the porch. Amy said, "Sally what's the matter?"

Sally stopped and turned to Amy. She said, "Oh, Amy you were right. I only did one more sales call with Howard then I told him I was going to quit. I told him I was afraid to keep working like I was what with your husband and his family making trouble. I told him the sex and the extra money weren't worth the chance of losing my marriage. He was angry and told me I couldn't quit on him that he needed me to help build the business back."

"Amy I just didn't go back to work the next day but it was too late. I was served divorce papers for adultery. I did get to talk to Darren before he left and he told me it was Jeffery that clued him in. At least we didn't have a Pre Nuptial agreement like you did so I will get some of our assets. Oh, Amy what am I going to do? I loved Darren so much. I'm sorry I let you talk me into doing what we did but you made it seem so exciting and the money would have helped so much."

"I did have some really wonderful orgasms but I always felt so guilty doing those things. I am really glad it's over but now I've lost Darren. OH, how could I have been so stupid?"

Amy invited Sally in to spend the night. After they had eaten supper Amy called Janet and invited her over to visit. The three women were drinking wine and talking about their problems. They did manage to solve one of the problems. They all three had some of the money Howard had given them as a bonus squirreled away. Janet had managed to keep the house and some of their assets when she and her husband divorced. She agreed to let the other two women live with her and split the expenses. She had given her mixed race child up for adoption so it would only be the three of them. Janet made it clear though that she expected them to split all the expenses equally including the house payment but she would retain ownership of the house. Their contribution for the house was to be considered rent.

Janet was the only one of the women who worked. She had left Harriman Printing and managed to get a poorly paid job elsewhere before all the rumors started flying. Her boss had asked her about Howard and her work for him. She had said she had gotten divorced because of an indiscretion and left the company. She had no knowledge of anything going on there after she had left. He looked at her with a frown then said, "Well, you've done a good job for me here. Just don't do anything that would get this company in trouble and we will be ok."

The three women stayed in touch with some of their friends that still worked for Howard. According to them Howard was about to go under. His wife had divorced him and taken almost all their investments and the house as her half of the community property. As Jim and Jeff worked through the companies that had employees who had screwed Amy they exacted a toll. Almost all of the men lost their jobs and the companies pulled business from Howard.

The wives had mostly divorced their husbands and taken them to the cleaners. Several times Howard had thought he had a new contract only to have it fall through when it came time to sign. Of the companies representatives that would answer when asked eight of ten told him they didn't want to thwart Steelville Feed and Farm Supply. Howard had become unreasonable in his hatred for that company and all of the Fieldings. He blamed the Fieldings for his reverses and developed a hatred for them that was awesome in its intensity.

Howard had laid off three fourths of his staff. He now only had a dozen printers, four salesmen and two secretaries working. He wasn't printing enough to pay the bills some months. He had sold his country club membership and was cutting all his personal expenses just as had Amy and her friends.

One Monday morning just before lunch Howard took the call that sounded his company's death knell. His banker called and told him he had a week to get caught up on his loan payments or they would start proceedings to force him into involuntary bankruptcy. He said he was calling to give him a heads up because they had once been friends and he had been a good customer for the bank. They were mailing the official notice that afternoon.

Howard did not even take a lunch break that day. He immediately started trying to find other financing but he couldn't. Between the decline in his sales and the rumors that were abounding most bankers wouldn't even talk to him. Of those who did talk to him none would send him paperwork to apply for a loan when they found out the trouble his company was in. By the end of that week Howard was a totally broken man.

Monday morning of the week after he talked with his banker he received an attorney in his office. He was told the bank was filing the foreclosure papers that day and they were planning on placing him in involuntary bankruptcy. Howard just sat and stared at the attorney until he finished talking and left his office.

He placed his head in his hands and seethed. He still couldn't believe that little pissant was so damn upset over a little pussy that he would do this. He was even more disbelieving about the ability of someone to so totally and rapidly ruin him. Always before when he made a threat or a request people jumped to do his bidding. Hell a lot of the whore's husbands had even known about their women fucking whoever he told them to and let it go because of his threats to ruin them.

Howard opened his top middle desk drawer. He looked inside the drawer then reached out for the pistol resting there. It would be so easy...No. Before it came to that he had to take care of that damn Jeffie and his family. Howard left his office and locked it and the building behind him.

His business continued to decline then one afternoon he got a call from a Business Broker. They got right to the point. They were in contact with a business that had heard his business was in trouble. That business might be interested in purchasing his printing business if the price was right. Would he be interested in selling?

At first Howard was going to refuse but then he decided to see what the offer was. He was pleasantly surprised at its generosity. Without taking the time to crunch the numbers it looked like they would pay off all his loans and he would still have about $250000 in cash if he sold to them. They made it plain that the deal was contingent on him signing the contract immediately and on him agreeing to never compete in the printing business again in his life.

Howard told them to send the contract and he would review it then let them know. Howard was so happy he treated himself to a nice meal-one like he used to have all the time when he was wining and dining his customers and suppliers with his Administrative Assistants. Of course then it hadn't mattered if the meal cost $200 or more per person. Many times the suppliers representatives had paid and if they hadn't Howard charged it off as a business expense.

The contract came by overnight registered mail the next day. Howard made another serious mistake. The contract looked so simple and he believed the man on the phone so he didn't have an attorney review it. His law firm was one of his web of suppliers that had refused to do further business with him after his problems began. They told him they didn't need business like his and to find another firm. He hadn't done that and didn't want to take the time now because his buyer had given him such a short deadline.

Howard read the contract and chuckled as he signed it. Hell, he could take the money that was left when his bills were paid and start over somewhere else in another business. If he could find the right Assistant he would be on top of the heap again in no time. He should have read the fine print closer. Especially the print that said they guaranteed to satisfy his debts up to the balance of the agreed upon purchase price of the business with any remainder coming to him in a certified check.

The day of closing came and it dawned bright and sunny. Howard felt that must be an omen. The closing of the deal was to be in the main office of the bank Howard used. Before they would sign a lien release and withdraw the involuntary bankruptcy filing they had to receive their share of the purchase price to satisfy Howard's loans. The bank would then sign a lien release before he got his check for the rest of the sales amount. Howard was bubbling with happiness when he walked into the bank. Things were finally looking up for him once again. He was beginning his recovery from the hell those Fieldings had put him through. Now all he had to do was find another business to operate and begin his payback to the Fieldings-after he collected his check of course.

Howard was escorted into the meeting room in time to see the back door to the room close. There were five men in the room at the table. One was his banker. One was an officer of the court, one the banks attorney. The other two were from the purchasing company-one an attorney and the other was the Chairman of the Board. Howard felt like he knew the Attorney but couldn't remember from where.

Everything was very businesslike. Howard signed where told and smiled. The banker and attorneys reviewed the papers. His banker pointed out that the Vice President of Operations, Acquisitions and Research for Steelville Feed and Farm Supply hadn't signed one page of the documents.

Howard became upset and demanded, "What do you mean by that. What does that Damn Pissant store have to do with this deal?"

The banker looked at Howard and said, "What do you mean by that. They're the ones that bought your business Howard."

"Oh no they didn't. I agreed to sell to Western Missouri Printing. What's going on here?"

The attorney that looked familiar smiled when he said, "I'm sorry for the confusion. You did sell to Western Missouri Printing but they are a wholly owned subsidiary of Steelville Feed and Farm Supply so Mr. Jeffery Fielding, the Vice President of Operations, Acquisitions and Research has to sign off on the purchase in addition to the signatures from our printing division. Don't worry, he just stepped out for a moment. I'll call him back in, he can sign and then we can finish this deal."

While Steve was calling Jeff back into the room Howard said, "Bullshit. The deal is off. I'm not letting that little pissant take my business from me."

He reached for the documents but the banker's attorney picked them up first. "Howard, I'm sorry but you have already signed these documents. That makes them a valid contract unless the purchaser decides not to sign also. The only way this deal can be stopped is by mutual agreement or failure of a party involved to sign."

Just as Howard was starting to respond Jeffery walked into the room. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for the signing. I had to make a restroom stop then I got a phone call. Here, just let me sign and we can finish this business."

After the final signature the attorneys looked over the files once more then distributed the copies to the parties involved with the deal. The checks that had already been prepared were given to the banker for Harriman Printing and everyone began putting their documents into their briefcases.

After the bank had their check and they had given the Officer of the Court the paperwork withdrawing the involuntary bankruptcy petition Howard sat waiting. He was so angry he could barely keep quiet but he didn't want to do anything until he had his funds. He watched in shock as the other men continued gathering up their papers and putting them in their briefcases. Finally Howard said, "Excuse me Gentlemen but aren't you forgetting something?"

The Chairman of Western Missouri Printing looked around the room and said, "No, I don't think we are. Do you know of anything we left out Steve or do you Mr. Fielding?" The attorney shook his head no and kept on loading his briefcase.

Howard was getting angry by this time and shouted, "You haven't paid me yet. I was supposed to get about $250000 in addition to having the loans paid off if my calculations are correct."

"Oh," the Chairman said. "I completely forgot the paperwork on that amount. Let me see here. Oh, yes, here it is. The balance left over was $247563.79." Howard began smiling again when the Chairman said that. His smile died though when he heard him continue, "Here is the receipt for its disbursement. I'm so sorry we forgot to give that to you."

Howard jumped to his feet in anger. He shouted, "Disbursement? What the hell do you mean disbursement? That money was supposed to come to me."

Now the attorney said, "Oh, I'm sorry for the mix up. You are right that was your money but you must have forgotten the lien against your assets should you ever sell the business. You remember your divorce decree required you to pay your ex wife a percentage of the gross sale price of the business if you sold it in her lifetime? I'm sorry to tell you that after expenses what you had left didn't quite cover that amount. I'm sure you'll be hearing from her and her attorney to make arrangements for payment of the balance."

Just as Howard was walking toward the door Jeff came into the room again. Howard stopped and stared at him. His face got red and he started shaking. "You Little Pissant. What are you doing here again?"

Jeff smiled and said, "Oh, good, you're still here Howie. I forgot to tell you that I have some men here that will escort you back to your old office so you can pick up your personal belongings. Sorry for the oversight."

Howard stood there in shock. He was so angry he was shaking and he was thinking how could this little pissant be the Vice President of Operations, Acquisitions and Research of the company that had just finished putting him in the poorhouse? He stared at Jeff once again and muttered, "You son of a bitch" while he stalked out the door.

Howard was met in the corridor by a uniformed guard. His uniform shoulder patch said Four States Security Service, a Division of Steelville Feed and Farm Supply. The guard said, "Mr. Harriman?" When Howard shook his head yes, the guard continued, "I am supposed to escort you to your former office so you can gather any personal items you have remaining there before you leave the building. Shall we go?"

Howard looked at the guard and slumped in defeat. He only nodded his head and began walking. The guard followed. When they got to the garage the guard got into Howard's car with him. He said, "I'll just ride with you so we can get you back into the building. My people will follow in our van."

When Howard walked into his building he saw another uniformed guard standing by the door. His receptionist wouldn't even look at him as he was escorted to his former office. He walked through the door and stopped dead in his tracks. Jeffery Fielding was sitting in a guest chair talking to a well-dressed woman seated behind his desk.

Howard felt his face redden and he grated out, "You Bastard. What the hell are you doing in my office? Now get out!"

Jeffery looked at Howard and said, "First of all Howie this is no longer your office. Secondly I own this company now and I will sit anywhere I want to. Thirdly, I was discussing continuing operations with the President of our Printing Division Mrs. Hartshorn while we wait on the new Plant Manager. Not that it is any of your business."

Jeff turned to Mrs. Hartshorn and said, "Perhaps we should take a break while Mr. Harriman cleans out this office. We've about covered everything we need to talk about today any way."

A few days later Howard was sitting on his patio cleaning his pistol when one of his very few remaining friends walked up. He watched Howard a moment then said, "Howard I have heard you were spending a lot of time at the range. In fact I watched you this morning. Hitting the target 7 out of ten times is pretty good but not good enough. Howard if you are getting ready to do what I think you're considering you need to change your mind."

Howard looked at his friend and said, "I don't know what you mean Jack. I just don't have much of anything to do now that my company is gone so I took up target shooting. Is that a crime?"

Jack said, "Well no it's not if that is all you are doing. In case you were thinking of revenge though I think you should know something about the Fieldings. Jim Fielding is a retired Lt. Col. Army Ranger. Paul Fielding is a retired Green Beret Colonel. Jeffery Fielding was a Green Beret Captain before he got out of the Army. He is still in the reserves. Almost every male in the Fielding family is prior service and many of their employees are retired or prior service members. Even if you get lucky and get one or two of them they will get you. I think you really should let sleeping dogs lie and go somewhere else to start over."

Howard sat in shock as what his friend said sank in. He sighed and said, "Yeah, sounds like."

The next day Howard packed what little he had left and headed for the Pacific Northwest. He arrived in Portland Oregon with all his possessions in his car and a burning hatred in his belly for a family named Fielding. He was sitting in a cheap hotel bar reading through the want ads when another guest sat beside him.

The dowdy looking man looked at the job offers Howard had circled in the help wanted section of the paper and said, "Things are tough huh? I've been looking for work for three weeks myself. What's your story anyway? Housing Bubble get you or was it the banking meltdown?"